Week Eleven September 28 – October 4, 2008

UTEP-UMCE News – Dr. Bill Robertson, Fulbright Scholar, UTEP Assistant Professor

 

Week Eleven September 28 – October 4, 2008

The following is a summary of the activities that I have been engaged in during the week of September 28 – October 4 as they relate to the work I am doing here at UMCE as part of my Fulbright Scholarship.

UTEP Doctoral Program – Prospective UMCE Students

On Monday, September 29, I had a conference call with Dr. Josie Tinajero and Dr. Ana Macias about the possible future enrollment of students from UMCE into the TED Ph.D. Program. Part of my charge in being here at UMCE is to investigate the possible integration of faculty at this institution who desire to obtain their doctoral degree in our new Ph.D. Program in the Teacher Education Department.  The collaborations between UTEP and UMCE extend back to 2005, when members of the faculty attended a COE sponsored Digital Academy. 

The need for this cooperation and agreement stems from the fact that many UMCE faculty have completed an initial program of study (coursework) with a university in Madrid, Spain in order to get their doctoral degrees, but support was pulled without a large number completing their degrees. As a result of this conversation, the group agreed to bring the issues of discussing how such a model could be implemented at UTEP through both the institutional and department channels. Dr. Tinajero will discuss the university policies and Dr. Macias will work with the doctoral faculty to explore the concepts on transfer students.  Dr. Robertson will prepare materials to present to the faculty so that prospective candidates can be evaluated by the criteria of the program.

Presentations on Problem-Based Learning

On Tuesday, September 30, I attended student presentations in a class designed to increase scientific thinking in the context of Problem-Based Learning scenarios.  PBL is an inquiry-based approach that can be defined as both a curriculum and a process. The curriculum consists of carefully selected and designed problems that engage the learner in the process of acquiring critical knowledge, developing proficiency in problem solving, engaging in self-directed learning, and participating in collaborative teams.  PBL approaches give students the ability to retain facts though critical thinking by working through problems logically and making connections to the real world. PBL features open-ended and cooperative activities that deal with real world issues and scenarios.

Recently, I sat in on a class here at la UMCE where students proposed solutions (las soluciones) with a scientific emphasis to the goal of creating a new city. The scenario was modeled on a real world event of a volcano erupting near the city of Chaitén that happened in May of 2008, and caused the evacuation of town of approximately 4200 residents.  The students did a great job defining the problems and proposing their own researched and well-supported solutions to the problem of creating a new city.  The students posed questions, analyzed the issues, presented their findings and defended their positions with confidence and clarity.

Student Conference on Pedagogy in the Natural Sciences

On Wednesday, October 1, I went with Claudio Perez to attend and to give a presentation at a National Chilean Conference for students studying to be teachers in the Natural Sciences. The main thrust of this event was to uncover concepts associated with constructivism and how this methodology can be implemented in the mostly traditional teaching climate found in Chilean schools. The conference was attended by upwards of 200 students from 10 different universities across Chile.  The students are all involved in programs that will lead them to be educators, primarily science teachers in middle schools and high schools in Chile.  The students were assembled for a three-day conference in order to improve their knowledge, to increase their abilities and to enlarge their networks with other students and participating faculty members. 

I was fortunate enough to participate in the event and deliver a presentation entitled “¿Cómo set constructivista en base a una formación conductista?” with my colleague and fellow constructivist, Claudio Pérez.  We gave a talk that focused on our experiences in science education and the use of specific methods and techniques that centered on practical applications in the classroom.  In interacting with the students within the talk, at lunch and in 3 subsequent round table discussions, I was given the unique opportunity to actually participate in a practical manner as both a teacher and a learner.

UMCE Conference on Innovative Education

On Thursday, October 2, I attended the Congreso Nacional de Educación in Santiago conference, which focused on the use of pedagogical practices in the 21^st Century.  I gave a presentation entitled “Ciencia de Acción” to approximately 50 faculty and students in attendance, as well as attended the days events to hear of other approaches to the use of different teaching and learning strategies across many disciplines, including science, mathematics, technology, special education and elementary education.

In addition, my paper entitled “Ciencia de Acción de Dr. Skateboard: Educación Transformativa en Física” was accepted to be published in the peer –reviewed journal that is associated with the conference and is distributed throughout South America. This marks my second academic article accepted for publication that was written entirely in Spanish.

Faculty Meeting

On Wednesday, October 1, I attended the regular weekly staff meetings with the Physics department on the new physics project they are implementing this coming semester.  At this meeting, we discussed the issues of the physics units that are being developed in the areas of the workshop in scientific thinking that uses a problem-based learning approach, as well as the mathematical physics module.  The main focus at this time was on the evaluation methods that were being used as the students were moving into mid-terms, and the emphasis within the project in to use performance based activities that include group projects and presentations.

Personal Transition to Work in Spanish

I think this past week was quite a different experience for me, one that was both quite challenging and rewarding all at once.  I had long periods were I had to communicate with people I did not know, both students and faculty, in professional situations and presentations.  I think that my ability to communicate both in speaking and writing is improving greatly, although my skills in speaking do lag at times.  It is almost as though I can think of the right word, but can’t connect quick enough to say it. In the past, this would have been frustrating, but I am learning to take it in stride and keep on trying. This is surely an aspect of this experience that I can see as laying a foundation for my return to work at UTEP.